


Walking In

by OhhMyy



Series: Coming Back To Life. [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arguing, F/M, Mild Language, References to Monty Python, past angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 09:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7839727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhhMyy/pseuds/OhhMyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s hiding a crush on the woman, has been since possibly the moment she touched his arm and flashed him a smile.</p><p>Bucky walks in on a fight between Charlie and Tony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Charlie settles in quickly and it’s almost hard to remember, even after a few weeks, what it was like before she was arrived. Bucky likes her; she’s fun and warmth and laughter and he’s learnt from the past few game and movie nights that she is always up for a laugh. He has also learnt from these that she owns a hula hoop, can juggle, knows the Rocky Horror dialogue back to front and can convince the group that dancing is always a good idea even if she rarely joins in. He knows that her reasons for being here are not as fun filled as she is; he’s walked into conversations that have stopped in their tracks more than once, heard Natasha make several remarks about protection and that Stark seems to constantly check her well-being (he is not quite sure if that’s for Charlie’s sake or Tony’s reassurance).

He also knows that Tony, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist is now spending more time out of the lab than he did before she arrived. Bucky isn’t sure whether to appreciate the change in dynamics (Stark’s presence, he hates to admit, has made the general tower atmosphere much more amusing) or be filled with inexplicable jealousy every time he slings an arm over Charlie’s shoulder and whispers in his ear. The urge to punch Stark is not a new one to Bucky, but at least previously it could have been put down to Tony’s self-proclaimed ability to annoy everyone rather than his closeness to a woman he has known for far longer than Bucky and has far more right to touch, hug, kiss and generally put his stupid genius hands on.

He’s hiding a crush on the woman, has been since possibly the moment she touched his arm and flashed him a smile. Bucky will not inflict this upon her, he has found solace in her company and though in his past he has been a ladies man he has also been a lot of things since that he is well aware make him an unsuitable partner for any woman, especially one he is so taken with. He has fond memories of women, those who were kind and those who were pretty and he’s sure he can remember actual feelings as well as fleeting lust, but he cannot, no matter how hard he tries, remember this pit that has situated itself in his stomach, mass of fluttering surrounded by a dull ache.

He talks to her about books, movies and music (forever adding to the scribbled list of modern things to view); she tells stories of her travels and shows the group pictures of her old adventures (her new adventures, when asked, she is quiet on; refusing to expand upon why the pictures are all dated before the past few years). She laughs with him and touches his arm when she giggles; he does not want it to stop and he’s almost certain revealing his feelings would fail to go over well.

He’s about to walk into the living area when he hears the sound of raised voices, stopping out of sight to listen; old habits die hard.

“You’re not leaving, you’re being stupid” Tony speaks, terse, blunt and full of command. Bucky can tell from the sound of shoes that he’s pacing.

“I don’t want to outstay my welcome Tony and you know I’m a risk” She speaks quietly, but there is anger simmering underneath her words.

Bucky raises an eyebrow; cannot possibly imagine any way in which this 5’6, 120lb goddess with a heart of gold can actually be a danger to a house full of trained assassins. The woman who makes cookies at night when she can’t sleep, wanders the house humming constant melodies and rescues spiders that trap themselves inside. There are a lot of words that spring to mind when he thinks of her but risk, he can safely say, has not been one of them.

“You don’t have a welcome, you have a home!” Tony roars, his voice is booming, even in battle he’s almost certain he hasn’t heard Stark this loud. The pacing stops, shoes scuffing briefly against the floor and he hears a loud sigh he’s sure has come from Charlie.

“Tony…” Her voice is pleading and he quells the urge to step in, drag her away from the fight and back to safety but he knows it’s not his place. He has years of practice at stomping down the desire to step in.

“Don’t Tony me; this is a tower full of super heroes for God sake!”

“Oh and I suppose I’ll be roping Steve in to accompany me to a coffee shop, or Natasha to join me in the park and never be alone again, I’ll just sleep in your room forever too shall I?!” He’s surprised at the loudness of her, sudden and unexpected and so out of character from what he knows. They are, as a pair, mostly full of jokes in terse situations, diffusing other arguments with sentences that would seem inappropriate to anyone else. He doesn’t think, in the almost months that she has been here he has actually heard her cross with anything other than the coffee maker.

He hears Tony sigh exhale loudly, pictures him rolling his neck back against his shoulders in exasperation as he heard the tell-tale click of joints.

“Yes, if you need to but I think you’re being paranoid”

“Tony I don’t…I can’t…I” She stutters the words out, and the volume of their conversation has dropped. He hears a brief shuffling of feet against the floor.

“I’ve only just got you back” Bucky doesn’t think he’s seen Stark emotional before but he’s positive if he looked there would be tears on his face. The voices stop and Bucky takes this moment to pop around the corner, make it appear as if he’s just entering without having listened. He finds the two of them hugging; feels like he’s interrupted a moment he shouldn’t be intruding upon but Charlie notices him over Tony’s shoulder and steps out of the playboy’s arms to wipe her eyes with the backs of her hands.

“Sorry…I. Sorry I’ll leave” He offers, winching at his decision to walk into the room, misunderstanding silence of an end.

“No Bucky don’t be silly, it’s fine” She waves a hand vaguely, inviting him into the room.

“Yeah Barnes, its fine, maybe you can talk some sense into her, flex a bit of muscle” Stark huffs and storms out of the living room; unexpectedly heading out of the tower rather than towards his lab. She spins towards his exiting form; looks like she wants to call after him but resists, turning to Bucky with a shrug.

“What’s going on, Doll?”

“Tony doesn’t want me to go” She sighs before tensing her entire body, he can see the worry lines creasing her face, almost as if she feels she shouldn’t have offered information.

“Why are you going?”

She shutters her expression before painting on a relaxed guise.

“Things to do, people to see, there’s a big wide world out there!” Her voice sounds fake, even to her own ears; overly cheerful. Bucky crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow at her but her expression doesn’t change even as she excuses herself.

That evening she doesn’t join the group as they eat dinner, the atmosphere is noticeably changed; quiet and subdued. Natasha is absent and Clint glares at Tony from the other side of the living room as he bites into his sub. Bucky is relived to find he is not the only person looking confused, he glances at Steve but his friend shrugs in return, neither having any idea what’s happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short second chapter. 
> 
> Is anyone enjoying these? I'd really appreciate some feedback.

A few days later, as they sit strewn across various furniture watching episodes of a show called ‘Monty Python’ (He likes it, makes a scribbled note to look it up), he sees Charlie nudge Tony’s foot with hers as they sit next to each other on the sofa and flash him a smile he assumes things are relatively back to normal. His suspicions are confirmed when both the excitable billionaire and his friend launch into an accurate rendition of a song about Camelot as it plays out on screen. Various members of the clique join in quoting lines as the film continues, Charlie and Tony doing almost the entire dialogue between them.

There’s loud laughter filling the room by the time the movie ends; Thor is beaming wide as Natasha plaits his hair; going off on a diatribe about the worthy characters and their noble quest. Bruce smiles warmly over the rim of his teacup, watching with what Bucky imagines is the same emotion that fills his chest; acceptance and maybe even love for the unique gaggle of people who have welcomed monsters into their nest and made them a home. Wanda and Vision sit together as always, whispering between them about the idiots they live with and Charlie has fallen into Tony in a fit of giggles.

“If I ever lose an arm in battle and do not say ‘tis but a scratch’ then someone needs to put me down” Clint announces and Natasha untangles one hand from the blonde locks of Thor to give him a thumbs up. Bucky has heard that Clint was funny and dark and witty before The Battle of New York and has seen with his own eyes the downcast frown that plagues his face occasionally when he thinks no one is looking, but he is relieved somewhat that for all he can see that the old Clint Barton has been returning.

Charlie picks up a pillow and throws it at him, landing perfectly in his face and Clint rushes over to tickle her, climbing on her like an infant; thighs either side of her legs and screaming “I’m invincible!” The former assassin watches his friends with a fond smile and wonders what he did to deserve this life; a warm home and a family (unconventional though they are) is not what he thought he’d end up with, the punishment for his deeds seems to be only his own mind and though it was a tough journey to get here he’s not sure, as he gazes around the room, that he’d change that struggle even if he’d change the actions. 


End file.
